Wortley Village business pillar to rise again as 'homage to what it was'

Residents and merchants are hopeful 2025 will bring good fortune to Wortley Village in the wake of two devastating fires.

Thankfully for them, a building lost will soon rise again.

In April 2023, the popular Black Walnut Café went up in flames. It is a moment forever etched in the mind of its co-owner, Mandy Etheridge.

“I’ll just never forget that phone call," said Etheridge, reflecting on a phone call in the middle of the night from her brother. "’Mandy, Wortley is burning,’ he said. That will stick with me forever.”

The 1880s building was destroyed in the blaze, later determined to be arson.

Days later, Etheridge and her brother, the other co-owner, promised to rebuild.

But it has been a long process.

“It felt like a never-ending battle, really", she told CTV News London.

But with construction activity at the site, excitement is growing amongst villagers.

Mandy Etheridge, co-owner of the Black Walnut Café, seen on Dec. 27, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

“It's really great to see things are progressing in terms of the rebuild. and it'll be wonderful to have that pillar of the community back," said longtime Wortley Village resident Hayley Baker.

Etheridge said the new Black Walnut Café will resemble its predecessor in many historical aspects when it reopens this coming October, “We never wanted the old building to go away. And so, we wanted to keep it like a homage to what it was. And hopefully, do it justice.”

Yet, as the rebuild begins, the Wortley Village community continues to absorb another devastating fire.

The blaze on Nov. 28 destroyed one business and damaged two others.

“I couldn't believe it. Like, I don't know why this seems to be happening," commented Etheridge to the fire impacting her neighbours.

The blaze is also being treated as an arson.

While upsetting for Etheridge, she is trying to hold on to optimism as her corner of the village rises again with the community's support.

“We can’t be more thankful for their support and encouragement over the past two years of this process,” she said.

The hope is that the new cafe will be completed by October, 2025.